Murray Street Coffee Shop
Murray Street Coffee Shop is the kind of place you can’t help but love: An indie coffeehouse (take that, corporate chains!) from a worldly husband-and-wife team, Douglas and Liz Davis, that just opened Sat. (7/30) in the "inner city" (sorta): Deep Ellum. "I noticed that there was nowhere I could go to get a New York Times and a cup of coffee," says Doug. (He has a hi-tech day job, so he pulls the early-ayem shift; Liz takes over during the day.) They’re using Illy coffee and making all yr favorite espresso drinks, plus pastries and of course wi-fi access (an essential coffeehouse ingredient these dayz). This is interesting (and smart): The coffee shop eschews the night scene and keeps daylight hours only, 7 am - 7 pm. Murray Street is one of the coolest little side streets in Deep Ellum, w/ small, people-scale brick bldgs that give it a real neighborhood feel.
103 Murray St. (@ Main) 214-655-2808
posted by TG @ 9:16 AM
37 comments
37 Comments:
no. none of that "look out sbux" stuff. absolutely not.
i do wonder how long it might take sbux to open a branch down there. maybe not IN deep elllum but somewhere in that general area. if they do intend to open 500 more stores domestically this year, or whatever the figure is. something like that.
I have never heard of this place. Thanks TG, I'll be sure to check it out.
a decent indie in Dallas now? only week after no decent indies in Dallas? holy flaming lips, Batman!
does it "match sbux' standard of cleanliness & freshness?" 'cause if it does not i don't really want to take Tom there with me. i'll meet Lauren on my own, 'cause she likes it dirty.
I wondered the same thing, TG. Now that SBux has put Torrefazione Italia (my former favorite) out of business by acquiring them, it's only a matter of time before they start locating stores where they can poach customers from the little guys. Let's hope they don't do that with the Murray Street Coffee Shop.
By the way, I do think they are reaching the saturation point in some locales. I heard on Michael Feldman's Whadya Know? last weekend that Falls Church, VA, has eight Starbucks stores to service its 10,000-person population. No wonder people inside the Beltway are so jittery!
You know wahat else is great just a few blks away is All Good Cafe, weekend breakfasts, crazy. It puts to rest the bitching about Deep Ellum not being a place where somebody can stay in business. How do you explain Cafe Brazil? You just need to get the right kind of place. These are the real deal, no West Village posers need apply.
kirk, i liked torrefazione too. i'm bummed that sbux ate them up. they used cool/ornate italian deruta cups! but their mgmt was iffy; i found service to often be a huge pain in the ass.
despite my current role as sbux cheerleader, i'm an indie champ from way back; the thermal cup i carry around (don't waste!) i got in '86 from the indie i frequented in calif. i hate to see sbux come in and put a GOOD place out of bizness. what i loathe is bullshit sympatico w/ an indie regardless of what kind of crap the indie is putting out. i want to support people who are making the best-quality product, who are advancing "coffee greatness", no matter who it is. but i don't resent starbucks for seeking out locations next to inferior indies and thereby putting them out of biz. the good ones do survive.
i haven't had the coffee at murray st yet (nor did i grill them on their cleaning/maintenance sked), but they're wisely using great Illy coffee which sets them apart from the chains. they underwent illy's training program but have also been making espresso at home, for themselves, for years: my kind of peeps
twisted deserves a bishop arts starbucks like nobody else. (except, twisted, now that you're not there, could a bishop arts sbux survive without your bizness?)
Where is mis.ery who always grumbles about your too-many Starbucks items? Or is he/she one of those people who secretly likes Starbucks. Some people like the place but don't want to admit it.
Thanks... We'll check this place out. Illy makes good coffee but it's waaaay overpriced per pound so it'll be interesting to see the MSCS prices.
Never tried the Skillman/La Vista place although I've been by it a hundred times.
We usually buy our coffee at Mawker's (from Arlington) in the furniture shed at the Farmer's Market. On weekends, it's always roasted that night before and it's got simply awesome aroma and taste. Plus, they give you a free iced herbal tea when you buy, which helps after trudging thru those barns when it's 105 in the lot.
although i usually depend on my "high on life" to get me going in the morning, it would be nice to see a good independent coffee place open here on the west coast of FL.
as tg knows, just a few years ago, i had to drive miles to get to the closest sbux, so i didn't go. now they're on every corner, with no room for anyone else. give me variety, or give me tea.
tea?
Or perhaps cake or death?
Mr. BK, what beans does mawker do? "sumatra" "breakfast blend", that kind of thing? freshly roasted is where it's at. and at the farmers mkt no less
OK, let me chime in with just a little additional information. Murray Street Coffee Shop pricing is below Starbucks. The shop does have a selection of teas from Mighty Leaf. We have a Reneka espresso machine that has been (and will be) serviced regularly to ensure consistent quality. In terms of inspiration (besides wanting a good cup and paper), I would cite Jo's in Austin (for attracting an interesting crowd that hangs, reads and chats)and coffee houses in Scandinavia (where I have spent LOTS of time). Decor is a combo of Scandic and mid-century modern. It's very clean and bright with a wide mix of tunes on random (Chopin to Calexico to Kraftwerk, etc.) But hey, it's our first stab at this kind of business and we have lot's to learn... hope you'll give us a try! --Doug Davis
Mighty Leaf tea is great! Whole leaves, wonderful floral qualty, and the bags are made of a sheer, silky fabric - best tea ever!
twisted: pleas not th splling of my nam.
(and the drinking is only a problem if someone notices. so far i've managed to keep it a secret. don't tell anyone.)
mb: thank you for noticing that i have been quiet. i am just so WEARY of this posturing over coffee and now tea, which when it is hot gives me headaches. doug davis sounds like an ok person with the right attitude about what a coffeehouse should be. if dallas allowed a smoking section, i'd give it a try. caffeine without nicotine is so wimpy.
clairevoyant: if you can get out of the house for your caffeine fix, i think you're really looking for something else. those of us who really need a jump start got to have it before we can get dressed, much less start the car and drive
the NYCE comment area is honored by a visit from d.d., the actual owner of Murray St himself. (you don't see the prez of burger king stopping by; all we get is dumb ol' tom cruise.) and any mix-tape that incorporates kraftwerk gets 4 stars!
as for poor ms.ery, it's a sad thing that she has no taste for exploring the fine points of coffee (and that she's so danged attached to those cigs), since it's always fun to have her 2 cents on any topic.
tg... they do things primarily by country. Costa Rica, JAH-maica, Tanzania, Nicaragua, etc. They also have a breakie blend, which although very good, we don't buy anymore because we are huge Costa Rican Tarrazu fans. So, that's what we get.
Since they are a small biz, not all the beans are available on a given weekend. They also have a very basic, ordering website at www.mawkercoffee.com
The couple are a joy to tslk with, are very knowledgable about coffee and always have time to talk. They are right beside the "boat" from Looziana -- the best flash frozen shrimp, direct from the Gulf, in Dallas!
Mis.Ery, I guess I thought that readers of this blog would have an interest in coffee. Or a place like Murray Street (which isn't part of any chain). I know I will try their coffee, and I'm not a regular coffee drinker.
Clairevoyant, I will try their tea too!.
hmf. nobody noticed my fancy new blog format where i can run the words next to the picture. which i thought was pretty cool. (as was the awesome photo supplied by none other than dd himself.) but i hear ya: nobody cares about the behind-the-scenes stuff. no worries. i'll toil on. alone. i don't need touts to keep on keeping on. really. go about your business
maybe it's my skewed sked that keeps me out of coffeehouses. right about now is when i would visit one, but as you see, it's not quite 3 a.m. and i don't think any are open. i'll be up a couple of hours now, then up again around 7 or 8 and REALLY NEEDING coffee then. so i will have it at home.
this was an unusually good posting tho, t.g., and your ability to run the copy right next to the photo -- just like they do at morning news and d mag -- is totally awe inspiring!
you mean you're GETTING UP at this hour? lots of us are STILL UP, having never gone to bed
haven't heard from twisted dog for awhile. maybe he's gone to north korea to get cloned
Love my local coffee houses (as long as they're clean, etc)! I need to visit the one near me more often than I do.
be like that mongrel to go to north instead of south korea. maybe someone will have him for dinner
Note: Webster's prefers coffeehouse, one word.
The problem with other coffeehouses is that Sbux had brainwashed us all into liking only their style and flavor of coffee, in a P.F. Chang's kinda way.
Now, everything else just tastes like crap.
Hey speak for yourself, anonymous. I don't feel brainwashed. People who are afraid to offer a comment in their own name might be brainwashed, but I don't feel that way, and neither does my pal Plato.
urm yeah "aristotle," you keep telling yourself that.
Hey Ari, let's meet later on for a latte down at Murray Street!
TG: I'm shocked. Not by the fact that you're plugging a coffee house, but that it's NOT a Starbucks!
You don't mention the VERY cool lights at this place (which you can partly see in the pic posted on this blog - like big yellow chandelliers).
i'd sooner drink poison than visit a trendy coffeehouse
(passes socrates poison)
This place jams. The inside is beautiful, the coffee is delicious, their sandwiches are unbelievable (order the mozzarella and pesto sanwich, it'll change your life), and the staff is loveable. march madness Plus, they have free wifi. I work from home, so I'm always on the lookout for a good place to get out of the house and work from. Murray St. is one of my favorites.
http://www.enterbet.com
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